Subject: Windows builds and the build system rationale
From: James Amundson
Date: 13 Sep 2002 20:54:29 -0500
Hi,
I meant to send these notes in response to some message in the many
threads on building under Windows. I've forgotten which one. Anyway, I
would like to explain a little bit about the rationale behind the way
the build system installs files. Here are some of the requirements I
had:
1) The installed layout should try to be as compatible as possible with
the GNU standards, and those of various Unix incarnations.
2) The installed layout should support simultaneous installs of multiple
versions.
3) The installed layout and build should support multiple lisp
implementations simultaneously.
4) The installed files should be relocatable without requiring setting
any environment variables to the extent possible. Where automatic
detection is not possible, an environment variable should make manual
relocation possible. The automatic relocation relies on the maxima or
xmaxima script being installed in <prefix>/bin to determine <prefix>. If
we need, for some reason, to make another assumption under windows,
please say so.
5) The build should be runnable in place, i.e., before it is installed.
The current build system meets those requirements under unix-like
systems. I don't know enough about windows to have any idea what to do
there. I did my best to not avoid things I knew would cause new problems
under Windows, but I did so with little guidance. If the people working
on the windows packaging would like to offer some guidance, now would be
the time.
--Jim